What is foundational strength? Why do we need it?

Let’s start out by saying foundational strength is something we all need more of. It is raw strength void of skill or athletic talent. It is often forgotten or neglected because it isn’t as fun to train and doesn’t look cool on Instagram. Yet its importance is unparalleled because it provides the athlete with the criteria to build skill upon.

Functional fitness is a performance based sport. Performance is the key problematic term here. It is often difficult to find balance between improving performance and improving ability. Contemplate this example. An extremely talented racecar driver can win a bunch of races with a relatively inferior racecar. The trap though, and incorrect thinking process is believing racing more will improve the racers results. Short term this might actually work and the instant gratification of winning further cements the incorrect thought process. What the racer doesn’t understand is by “over racing” the inferior car they are over stressing the inferior parts. This risk of breakdown rises exponentially until the inevitable happens.

At what point does improving the racecar become the primary goal? In my opinion, far too late in the process.